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March Laumer
March Laumer (17 August 1923 – 12 January 2000) was a prolific author in the genre that has sometimes been called Alternate Oz and Romantic Oz, which takes extreme liberties with the traditional Oz literature. Born in Florida, Laumer served in the U.S. Marines in World War II and spent most of his maturity studying, teaching, traveling, and living abroad, most notably in Lund, Sweden and in Hong Kong, the two cities where most of his works were published. His brother Keith Laumer was a prolific science fiction writer; the two collaborated on an Oz book, Beenie in Oz. A number of his works were featured on a tribute website for free viewing in PDF files which was maintained for many years until it became defunct in 2017. However, some of these files can still be accessed by viewing the website within the Internet Archive. Also some of the titles can be published hardcover on Lulu.com for around $20-23 and free versions are also available in ebook format. March Laumer's Oz books include: * The Green Dolphin of Oz (1978) * Aunt Em and Uncle Henry in Oz: A Traditional Tale of Oz (1983), it was rewritten in 1986 re-titled Uncle Henry and Aunt Em in Oz: The Oz Book for 1911, with illustrations by Chris Dulabone * In Other Lands Than Oz, with various others (1984) * The Good Witch of Oz (1984) * The Magic Mirror of Oz: The Oz Book for 1944 (1985) * The Frogman of Oz: The Oz Book for 1947 (1986) * The Ten Woodmen of Oz: The Oz Book for 1999 (1987) * The Charmed Gardens of Oz (1988) * The Careless Kangaroo of Oz: The Oz Book for 1912 (1988) * A Fairy Queen in Oz (1989) * The China Dog of Oz, with Ruth Tuttle (1990) * The Vegetable Man of Oz: The Oz Book for 1943, with Hakan Larsson, John Plummer, Eileen Ribbler, and Michael Vincent (1990) * The Crown of Oz, with Michael J. Michanczyk (1991) * The Umbrellas of Oz: The Oz Book for 1953, with Irene Schneyder (1991) * A Farewell to Oz: The Oz Book for 2000, with Anita McGrew, Gerard Langa, and Dina Briones (1993) * The Cloud King of Oz, with Richard E. Blaine (1994) * Beenie in Oz, with Keith Laumer, Tyler Jones, Michael J. Michanczyk (1997) * Dragons in Oz (1998) * The Woozy of Oz: The Oz Book for 1954 (1999) * The Talking City of Oz, with Ron Baxley, Jr. (1999) Laumer sets himself apart from almost all other writers on Oz, in that his books are for adults rather than children. His prose makes no concessions to child readers; his vocabulary is polysyllabic, and he provides frequent literary allusions and references to popular culture. His child characters can be odd, unrealistic, and unsympathetic. Laumer footnotes his works with references to Oz books, including his own, some of which were never published and perhaps never written: The Great Map of Oz, The Tiny Piglets of Oz, A Swede in Oz, etc. Laumer exploited characters from most earlier Oz writers, ignoring problems of copyright violation in so doing. He was never sued for his depredations; as a noncommercial writer, he was likely small and obscure enough to pass beneath the horizon. Laumer and Chris Dulabone produced an adaptation of Alexander Volkov's The Yellow Fog (1986). Laumer also adapted Volkov's Seven Kings of the Underground into The Underground Kings of Oz (1993). He incorporates Volkovian influences into his own Oz works. Laumer wrote some literary works that have nothing to do with Oz. He also wrote nonfiction pieces on the benefits of a salt-free diet (also a plot point in Beenie of Oz). References * Paul S. Ritz, "Remembering March Laumer," The Baum Bugle, Vol. 44 No. 1 (Spring 2000), p. 11. Category:Non-canonical Authors